Letter from the Director: Catholic Sisters and Sustainable Development in Africa

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1 Calendar of Upcoming Events Newsletter Date Special Edition Follow LIM: Holiday 2016 Letter from the Director: Catholic Sisters and Sustainable Development in Africa In mid October and along with over 100 leaders of congrega ons of women religious in Africa, I a ended Catholic Sisters: Champions of Sustainable Development in Africa, a conference sponsored by the Conrad N. Hilton Founda on. Its name derives from the United Na on s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) approved by 193 na ons in The goals are ambi ous, as is their meline. They seek to end poverty and hunger, to promote access to quality educa on for all, and to combat climate change all this and much more by The conference sought to frame the work of Catholic sisters in Africa in terms of the SDGs. Inside this issue Opportuni es for Study Ministry Elec ve...2 Summer Ins tute...2 Summer Internship...3 Spring Courses...3 Faculty and Staff Updates Tracey Lamont Joins Faculty 4 Cynthia Lee Says Farewell.4 Michael Cowan s Sabba cal 5 News and Announcements..6 7 Webinars...6 Holiday Office Closures...7 LIM at Conferences...7 E Submission Update...7 Director s Le er cont d...8 Calendar...9 On my trip, I met with some of our LIM students who belong to the Sisters of Our Lady of Kilimanjaro and the Kenya Uganda Province of the Religious of the Sacred Heart. If our students are representa ve (and they surely are), Catholic sisters in Africa (and around the world) haven t been using UN language to describe their ministries, but, in fact, they are ahead of the curve. They ve been addressing the SDGs all along. I could choose any of our students I met as an example, but I ll focus on Sr. Teresa Aura, RSCJ, with whom I traveled around Kampala my last day there. The SDG campaign invites governments, the private sector, civil society, and everyday ci zens to take part in the campaign. Learn more» She is in her second s nt at a girls school in Moroto in northwest Uganda. To get there, she can choose one of two daily buses for the 10 hour trip from Kampala, half of it on unpaved roads. When it rains and she s traveling, Sr. Teresa welcomes it but prays that it not be torren al or else she and her fellow travelers spend the night on the side of the road. The closest grocery store of any size is 5 hours away. Happy to be there now, she had a difficult introduc on. She started at a me of unrest during which she spent nights on the floor avoiding gunfire and worrying about those caught in it. Prayer and community got her through. Moroto is located in Uganda s arid Karomoja subregion. Sr. Teresa worries about climate change and whether it will affect the annual rains that provide water, allow some agriculture, and support the central feature of Karomoja culture ca leherding. No rain could equal famine. Con nue reading

2 Exciting Opportunities for Study & Spiritual Growth Ministry Skills Course LIM 860: Practices for a Religiously Diverse World Spring 2017 Wednesdays 6:20 9:05 p.m. Available to On Campus and Online students This course addresses prac cal ma ers pertaining to interfaith rela ons in the contemporary world. It helps students develop the necessary skillset and provides them with a broader theore cal framework for mee ng the complex challenges of religious diversity in an increasingly globalized world. Students will not simply learn about interfaith rela ons but also how interfaith rela ons can be improved in their own experience in real world situa ons. Students will cri cally analyze various points of conten on in interfaith rela ons throughout the semester and propose poten al solu ons that lead to posi ve outcomes for all par es involved. The course will be taught by Professor Adil Khan, Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies at Loyola University New Orleans in the Department of Religious Studies. For more informa on, GO» Arabic calligraphy of the Islamic phrase translated as "in the name of God, the gracious and merciful"; it is the phrase recited before each sura (chapter) of the Qur'an except for the ninth. 10th Annual Summer Institute for Catholic Educational Leadership June 5 7, 2017 Catholic Educa on/forma on: From and For Faith Keynoter: Thomas Groome, Ed.D. Be sure to save the date for this year s Summer Ins tute for Catholic Educa onal Leadership! The Summer Ins tute, co sponsored by the Archdiocese of New Orleans Offices of Religious Educa on and Catholic Schools along with LIM, is proud to announce that Thomas Groome, interna onally acclaimed author and Professor of Theology and Religious Educa on at Boston College, will lead the ins tute. Graduate students have the opportunity for a ending the Summer Ins tute and earning credit for doing so as part of an independent study. Alums, watch your for details regarding a recep on to take place Sunday evening before the Summer Ins tute begins on Monday. Summer Ins tute Homepage GO» Thomas Groome, Ed.D., leader of the Summer Ins tute 2

3 Education for Social Justice: Summer Internship Program LIM is looking for inquisi ve minds to join our Social Jus ce Summer Internship program in New Orleans. This is a 3 credit program that engages passionate thinkers, doers, ac vists, and organizers in the work of transforming the city's most fragile and disposable communi es. Par cipants will partner with Our School at Blair Grocery (OSBG) to learn, educate, and organize side by side with young people in the Lower 9th Ward to shi the geopoli cal landscape that divides our city and our country. Located in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, OSBG is an alterna ve high school that incorporates experien al learning into the curriculum through its sustainability educa on center. At risk teens learn about sustainability thinking as they are empowered to work to end hunger in New Orleans while building a community food enterprise that includes goats, a garden, and grocery. Learn more about OSBG GO» To learn how you can become an agent of change in a movement to build prac cal, replicable, and achievable solu ons, please Dr. Tracey Lamont at tlamont@loyno.edu for more details. Our School at Blair Grocery (OSBG), an independent alterna ve school and sustainability educa on center based in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans. Image Credit: City Farmer News Spring Classes Set Students are able to register now on LORA. Online Prac ces for a Religiously Diverse World (LIM C ) Chris an Origins (LIM C712 W01) Church, Sacraments, and Liturgy (LIM C722 W01) On Campus Prac ces for a Religiously Diverse World (LIM C ) Chris an Origins (LIM C ) Church, Sacraments, and Liturgy (LIM G ) Spirituality, Morality, and Ethics (LIM G704 W01) Religious Communica on (LIM G885 W01) Pastoral and Educa onal Praxis (LIM G886 W01) 3

4 Faculty and Staff Updates Tracey Lamont Joins LIM Faculty In August 2016, Dr. Tracey Lamont joined the LIM faculty. She brings with her a breadth and depth knowledge and experience in religious educa on, par cularly youth and young adult ministry. From her studies at Fordham University in New York City to her ministry and teaching in Tampa, Dr. Lamont has explored the role of religious educa on in the moral development of youth. Her research explores how construc ve developmental theory can help religious educators construct new ways to think about young adult moral development in a complex global society. An addi onal area of study and interest is the rela onship between personal morality and social jus ce ac vity. These two areas of inquiry are addressed in an internship program she will be leading this summer with Our School at Blair Grocery in New Orleans (see page 3 for the full story). We welcome Dr. Lamont and are grateful for the talents and exper se she brings to the LIM community! Cynthia Lee Says Farewell to LIM It is not o en that an organiza on has the blessing of employing a capable, personable, and conscien ous individual for over twenty years, yet that is exactly the blessing that Loyola University and the Ins tute for Ministry have had in Cynthia Lee. As Registra on Coordinator of the Ins tute since the 1990s, Cynthia is well known to facilitators and students in the extension program whom she has served in her gentle and suppor ve way, processing course registra ons, withdrawals, and leaves of absence, researching financial ques ons, and ensuring access to course videos and audios. Even while working full me at LIM, Cynthia earned her undergraduate degree at Loyola and, along with her husband, raised three children. Cynthia will be leaving LIM in January As she an cipates the next chapter of her life, she remembers fondly all the rela onships she has built over the years with members of the LIM community. 4

5 Dr. Michael A. Cowan on Sabbatical in Spring 2017 In academia, a professor uses sabba cal leave to study, conduct research, or engage in other ac vi es related to scholarly interests, and a professor typically uses the me to pursue intellectual development and achievement. Dr. Michael Cowan will do just that as he takes a sabba cal in the spring 2017 semester. Given his vigorous commitment to seeking jus ce locally and studying processes for peacemaking that have global implica ons, Dr. Cowan will be busy. As a founder of Common Good in New Orleans, an organiza on of religious and civic leaders seeking deep, structural ethics and criminal jus ce reform in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, and as a senior fellow at the Centre for Resolu on of Intractable Conflicts (CRIC) at Harris Manchester College, Oxford University, Dr. Cowan has focused his research and public engagement on iden fying and using the methods that barrier crossing leaders rely on when a emp ng to resolve stubborn conflict. As reported in the Spring 2016 LIM Express, Dr. Cowan is engaged in a research project to study how barrier crossing leaders facing deep conflict which is characterized by distrust and power imbalances and structured along racial, ethnic, religious, na onal, and class divides are able to share leadership and address conflict posi vely. Currently, a research instrument is being tested in New Orleans and St. Paul, Minnesota. The research instrument, consis ng of online mul ple choice and open ended ques ons, will give Dr. Cowan and his fellow researchers an insight into the skills, strategies, and mindsets of barrier crossing leaders. Once ini al data collec on ends later this year, Dr. Cowan will interpret the results and modify the survey if needed before it is administered to barrier crossing leaders facing intractable conflicts in a variety of loca ons, such as Belfast, Dublin, London, Seoul, Singapore, Paris, Berlin, Cairo and other loca ons in La n America and the Philippines. As he con nues his study of barrier crossing leaders during his sabba cal, Dr. Cowan will also work on behalf of the CRIC, founded by Lord John Alderdice of Belfast in 2013, as the volunteer coordinator of a financial stewardship campaign for the center. Acknowledging that divided communi es are a threat to the world and the survival of all, CRIC has as its purpose suppor ng peacemaking in centers of conflict around the world, whether they be conflicts of war, such as in Syria, social conflict, such as the longstanding tensions between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland, or the racial tension some mes between police and ci zens across the United States. Just as prac cal theology is the prac ce of pu ng theology into ac on and refining that prac ce through experience and observa on, those affiliated with CRIC acknowledge that in the field of peacemaking theore cal advancement must be based on the evidence emerging from direct involvement with communi es in conflict, and that resolving conflicts can be assisted by the though ul applica on of lessons learned from studying the experiences of other communi es that have suffered similarly (CRIC). To learn more about the center and its work, visit its website. On sabba cal, a scholar may visit an ins tu on other than his or her own in order to gain new perspec ves and s mulate fresh ways of thinking. Dr. Cowan will do this by teaching a seminar at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, where he is a Visi ng Research Fellow in the Irish School of Ecumenics. The course will explore Jewish Chris an rela ons. Although armed conflict may cease, stubborn confronta on s ll may exist. Here a young boy looks at a Loyalist (Protestant) paramilitary mural Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2015, in Belfast, Ireland. The effec ve strategies of barriercrossing leaders in such divided communi es are being studied by Dr. Cowan who hopes to develop a toolkit that leaders facing similarly intractable conflicts may use. Credit: Interna onal Business Times 5

6 News and Announcements Webinars All webinars are free and open to the public, but a endance is limited to 100 par cipants and available on a firstcome, first served basis. To a end a webinar, go to h p://loyno.adobeconnect.com/webinar/, select "Enter as a Guest," type in your name, and click "Enter Room." If you log in before the star ng me, you will need to wait un l the start me before being invited in. New Direc ons in Young Adult Ministry November 16 8 p.m. Central Tracey Lamont, Ph.D., lecturer in Religious Educa on and Prac cal Theology, Loyola Ins tute for Ministry will bring a endees up to date on trends and direc ons in contemporary young adult ministry. A Update on the Diaconate December 5 8 p.m. Central Bill Ditewig, Ph.D., is Director of Faith Forma on, Diaconate, and Planning in the Diocese of Monterey. Bill is also the author of books on a range of theological topics, including on the diaconate and the possibility of women deacons. He will offer his insight into the current state of the diaconate and where it might be headed. Respect Life: Our Archdiocesan Approach January 17 8 p.m. Central Debbie Shinskie, Director of the Respect Life Office in the Archdiocese of New Orleans, discusses the approach, different from that take in other dioceses, that the Archdiocese of New Orleans takes in its Respect Life campaign and the programming it offers in support of it. Access past webinars at the Webinar Archive GO» 4 6

7 Holiday Of ice Closures Loyola University and the Ins tute for Ministry will be closed on the following dates for the upcoming holidays. November 23rd 25th Thanksgiving Holiday December 22nd January 2nd Christmas We will respond to , voic , and fax communica ons upon our return to the office. Facilitators in our extension program may want to submit their course registra ons for the spring 2017 semester by the first week of January to ensure mely processing. Conferences: LIM at NCCYM, Gulf Coast LIM will a end the Na onal Conference on Catholic Youth Ministry s annual conference being held in San Jose, California. This year s theme is Connect in Christ. The conference's emcee is Ansel Augus ne, LIM graduate MRE Year. Learn more» San Jose, California December 1 3, 2016 Booth #204 San Jose Conven on Center Please stop by our booth to say hello! LIM will also be at the GO! Gulf Coast Faith Forma on Conference. This year s theme is Prayer: The Faith Prayed and Lived. Learn more» Kenner, Louisiana January 12 14, 2017 Pontchartrain Center LIM Extension E Submission Update The LIM faculty and staff would like to thank all of the facilitators, students, and adjunct faculty who have shi ed to using Blackboard for accessing course materials and forms and submi ng papers and forms. While individual ques ons have arisen, the new process is working smoothly. If you have a ques on, see if it is answered on the e submission FAQ page. If not, send your ques on to LIM technical support at limtech@loyno.edu. 7

8 Letter from the Director Continued Her main ministry addresses SDG 4 (quality education). From my conversation with her, it s clear her work also touches on SDG 1 (poverty), 2 (hunger), 3 (health and well being), 5 (gender equality), 6 (clean water and sanitation), 7 (affordable and clean energy), 8 (decent work), 10 (reduced inequalities), 11 (sustainable communities), 13 (climate action), 15 (life on land), and 16 (peace and justice). According to the United Na ons, On September 25th 2015, countries adopted a set of goals to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all as part of a new sustainable development agenda. Each goal has specific targets to be achieved over the next 15 years. This season of thanksgiving and hope prompts me to express my gratitude. I am so inspired by and thankful for all our LIM students and graduates. In this particular case, I am grateful for my time in Kenya and Uganda, for the witness I encountered, and for the hospitality I received. I also value the SDGs as a frame for apostolic work. It can get those who address them the recognition and resources that so often go wanting. And while communities of women religious are not NGOs and would more likely characterize their work as evangelical, the UN s categories may help them find common ground with others in contributing to the flourishing of all life as envisioned by the Gospel. Wishing you joy, Dr. Tom Ryan, Director Loyola Institute for Ministry 4 8

9 The LIM faculty and staff wish you Thanksgiving and Christmas blessings! The Birth of Christ, Federico Barocci,

10 The Loyola Institute for Ministry The Loyola Ins tute for Ministry Loyola University New Orleans 6363 St. Charles Avenue Campus Box 67 New Orleans, LA Phone: Fax: E mail: lim@loyno.edu The mission of the Loyola Ins tute for Ministry (LIM) is to prepare women and men for religious educa on and ministerial leadership in Catholic and other Chris an communi es through professional graduate educa on and through professional con nuing educa on. The Master of Religious Educa on and the Master of Pastoral Studies degrees are offered in the Ins tute. A number of con nuing educa on op ons are also part of Ins tute programming. This newsle er is designed for students in all the LIM programs, alums, current liaisons, facilitators, faculty, and friends. The content of the newsle er is collected, edited, and prepared for the web by Jennifer Shimek. Upcoming Events NOVEMBER 16th Tracey Lamont, lecturer in Religious Education and Practical Theology at LIM, explores New Directions in Young Adult Ministry Webinar 8 p.m. Central GO» 23rd 25th Thanksgiving Holiday University and LIM of ice closed DECEMBER 1st 3rd LIM at NCCYM Conference in San Jose, California, at the Conference Center Booth 204 GO» 5th Bill Ditewig, Director of Faith Formation, Diaconate, and Planning in the Diocese of Monterey, gives An Update on the Diaconate Webinar 8:00 p.m. Central GO» 22nd Jan. 2nd Christmas Holidays University and LIM Of ice closed JANUARY 12th 14th LIM at the Gulf Coast Faith Formation Conference in Kenner, Louisiana, at the Pontchartrain Center GO» 17th Debbie Shinskie, Director of the Respect Life Of ice in the Archdiocese of New Orleans, discusses Respect Life: Our Archdiocesan Approach Webinar 8 p.m. Central GO» 10